Black bears have short, curved claws (generally under 2 inches) that are perfect for climbing trees, tearing into logs, and opening several human-designed doors and containers. Lever-style handles, sliding doors, jar tops, coolers, picnic baskets, and unlocked windows are all no match to the hungry, scent following bear.
Vehicles are a common spot for smelly objects, whether it’s actually food or just stuff that smells like food. Bears can open the lever-style door handles on the outside of an unlocked car but the doors are often a lot harder to open from the inside, and vehicle doors can close on their own.
Plus black bears are usually strong enough to peel down a window that’s just and inch or two open and able to squeeze through an open window even if they’re quite large. Sadly when temperatures are high, a bear that gets trapped in a car can wind up dead in minutes due to their fur coats. Even when they are able to get out, many wildlife agencies destroy any bears that manage to break into homes or vehicles.
Beyond the well-being of the animal, you don’t want a black bear to get into your car for your own sake. They’re smart, strong, and have no trouble tearing up your vehicle in search of food or to escape. A bear getting into a car can leave that car in shambles, like the interior of this vehicle filmed in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
So how is this prevented? Remove all sources of food and scent from your car. Make sure there’s no pet food, bird seed, human food, trash, candy, air fresheners, sunscreen, lip balm, hand lotion or anything else with a strong scent inside. Lock your doors and roll up your windows, even if you’re parked in front of your house. Cracking your windows can lower the temperature by a degree or two, but it can also make it much easier for a bear to break in and destroy your car.
